Weight training can be very valuable to athletes to help improve their strength, athletic abilities, stamina and to decrease their risk of sustaining an injury during a game or event. Weight training can also provide many of the same benefits to the non-athlete and may be utilized to improve overall fitness and quality of life. The benefits of weight training may be achieved to a greater extent when the weight training exercises are done properly and with correct technique or form. Using proper technique reduces the risk of injury during the exercise and allows the exercise to work the desired muscles in an optimal manner.
Weight training generally refers to exercises in which a person lifts, pulls, presses or otherwise works against a form of resistance. The resistance may be in the form of free-weights, dumbbells, barbells or resistance bands or may be a system of pulleys and cables interconnected to stacked weights or bendable rods. A person's own body weight may also be used as the resistance in exercises such as push-ups or pull-ups.
Proper form in a given weight training exercise generally implies that the exercise is performed in a manner that utilizes body positions and motions that allow the weight to be lifted without harming the body while also targeting a desired muscle or muscle group. Generally, body positions associated with proper form are designed to provide the weight lifter with a strong, stable stance so as not to cause them to fall during the exercise. The body positions also provide correct orientation of body parts, such as the spine, back, arms and knees, to allow those body parts to best support the body, and the lifted weight, without incurring damage such as sprains, strains, ruptures, tendon avulsions and compartment syndrome. Further, correct positioning of the body may lead to correct movement of the body during the lifting exercise, which may in turn decrease the risk of injury to the body. Correct movement of the body during an exercise places the stresses and strains of the exercise on the muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments most capable of handling them and in a manner most conducive to their natural movements. By doing so, the risk of injury is decreased and the desired muscle or muscle groups are isolated and worked by the exercise.
In the exercise referred to as the “squat,” a weight lifter lifts a weight from a squatting position to an upright position using the muscles of the legs and lower body to lift the weight. To do so they may, depending upon the form of weight being used, begin from a standing position with a dumbbell in each hand and held at their sides, arms extended, or may begin by placing a weighted barbell across their shoulders and behind their head. The weight lifter may then bend at the hips and knees to lower their body to a squatting position wherein their thighs are parallel, or just above parallel, to the ground. After a short pause the weight lifter lifts the weight back to a standing position by re-extending his legs.
Proper technique requires the weight lifter to keep their knees even with or behind their toes and to not allow their knees to flare laterally inward or outward from a position above their feet. Proper form also requires the weight lifter to keep their heels on the ground and to keep their back and spine aligned, and generally upright, during the downward and successive upward motions. By retaining such an alignment and positioning the weight lifter's weight and center of gravity remains centrally located over their feet, and thereby their own weight and the resistance weight may be supported by their body from a natural and structurally strong position. Further, in such a position the work required to lift the resistance weight is more directly concentrated on the desired muscle or muscle group, in this case, the muscles of the thighs and buttocks. Also, by following proper form the weight lifter can complete the exercise with reduced risk of injury to their spine, back or knees, among other parts of the body.
If the weight lifter strays from proper form the resistance weight and/or their center of gravity may shift, thereby increasing the strain on body parts other than their thighs and buttocks. For example, where the weight lifter allows their knees to move forward in front of their toes or laterally away from their feet, unnecessary strain is placed on the knee and may inflame, strain, tear or otherwise damage the tendons or ligaments of the knee. In addition, if the weight lifter's form causes their knees to bend beyond the point where their thighs are parallel to the ground excessive shear loading occurs on the knee in a position in which the articular cartilage is thinnest, which may result in damage to the weight lifter's knee. Further, if the weight lifter allows their heels to rise up off of the ground or if they bend too far forward their center of gravity shifts forward, thereby placing increased strain on their lower back. Allowing any of these improper movements to occur may injure or irritate the weight lifter's knees, back or spine, among other body parts and may even cause them to lose their balance and fall.
Devices have been created to assist exercisers in achieving and learning proper form and targeting specific muscles or muscle groups, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,875 to Strother and U.S. Pat. No. 4,484,740 to Green. Such devices provide safety features to assist a weight lifter in discontinuing a lift when a weight becomes too heavy, or provide some system for notifying the weight lifter when their form is not correct. However, devices available in the art are bulky, complicated, difficult to use and can not be conveniently stored or transported. No known device is available to assist weight lifters in obtaining proper form in the squat exercise. There is a need for a squat training device that is easily used to obtain proper form for the squat exercise and is easily assembled, disassembled, stored and transported.